Review: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

Goodreads Description: Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures ... until the day their adventures turn all too real. They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only piques Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Elizabeth, Henry, and Victor immediately se out to find assistance in a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrads life. After scaling the highest trees in Sturmwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one's own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another.

My Review:

I’ve decided to be generous to this book. It wasn’t a bad
read, but not ah-ah-mazing either. Of course, Frankenstein is one of my
most favorite books. ever. So naturally I feel inclined to be a bit too critical of Oppel’s prequel.

This Dark Endeavor introduces an identical twin to Victor
Frankenstein, Konrad. When Konrad becomes terminally ill, Victor becomes obsessed
in creating the Elixir of Life. His intentions for the creation get confused –
is his pursuit the noble intention of saving his brother’s life or Victor’s
obsession with power. The characters and setting are the same and written with
similar temperaments to the characters of Shelley’s Frankenstein.

The characters were fairly well developed. I especially
loved the development of Elizabeth Lavenza. Her adolescent years were full of
animal passion as well as delicate femininity. I do believe Shelley herself
would agree with Oppel’s interpretation of Elizabeth. This feminist rendition
of Elizabeth is very suiting to the Frankenstein saga. Konrad, being the more
sociable, more patient, and smarter of the twin brothers, sets the stage for
Victor’s dark brooding which is very evident throughout this book. I do wish
Victor had been characterized more fully. The novel took Victor’s point of
view, yet as a reader, I never felt a deep understanding of Victor. He seemed a
very indecisive character. I wish he had been better developed into the manic
Frankenstein of Shelley’s novels. And of course, I can’t forget about Henry
Clerval – he was nearly the same character in adolescence as in adulthood.

The plot was intriguing, but never really gripping. It
begins with a slightly boring introduction of characters – before any action
happened. I wasn’t really interested in a group of rich teenagers with the
spark of love and curiosity. That would just be redundant, and I wasn’t
interested. The teens stumble into a secret passageway (yippee, its still
redundant) which leads to a library full of alchemist’s books, which of course
have been banned. None of this was surprising, yet set the stage quickly and
effectively. It can be difficult to remember this book is meant for ages 12+, so
for the intended audience, this was a good start to a familiar story for most
(even those who haven’t read Shelley’s novel have a very basic understanding of
the novel – lightning, mad scientist)

With Konrad sick, Victor, Elizabeth, and Henry set out to
create the Elixir of Life and encounter the many seemingly impossible tasks to
get the necessary ingredients. Their journey is filled with many great dangers
and they make some miraculous escapes. Elizabeth even bites a vulture. What? I’ve
never really wrapped my mind around that. Perhaps it is a bit too impossible
for me. Also, they escape from a pitch-dark cave filled with water. How they
saw the water rising or found the exit with burnt-out lanterns confounds me.
These points of the story disengaged me from the plot. My suspension of belief
was stretched a bit too far in this given narrative.

Despite a few rough spots in the plot and my disappointment
with Victor Frankenstein’s character development I did enjoy this novel. One
thing I loved was the relation of Konrad and Victor. Being a twin myself, I
think Oppel was spot on. He really captured that sense of overwhelming love for
one’s twin alongside that feeling of overwhelming jealousy and contempt. It’s a
confusing and difficult emotion to master, but Oppel did it with ease. I found
myself smirking at a few of Victor’s comments and I completely related to their
relationship.

The action in the novel was well written for the intended
audience as well. Plenty of dungeons, wild animals, and mystical dangers to
excite younger readers. The ending may have been predictable, but the exact
dangers the youths would encounter was not, which I enjoyed.

I give this book 3 out of 5 foxes. I highly recommend it for
teen readers, boys may be especially fond of the action in this one. It is a
quick read with a steady pace. The characters are suiting extensions Mary
Shelley’s originals.